Teeheehee. My sister and one of my cousins are both doing their MBAs and well...neither are quite certain that everything they are being taught have anything to do with reality. Good healthy skepticism.<br><br>And me, long time ago I come to the conclusion that most economists have their heads up their asses so far up. They've lost touch with reality a long time ago, as most analysts' statements sound like they just smoked crack, then give an analysis which then goes wrong so then they're explaining what went wrong in the first place...or even worse, they often give analysis that can be interpreted in a variety of ways, depending on who's listening/reading. "Wow, So what you''re actually saying is that the stock market is either up or down by the end of the year depending on the development of global consumption. Fascinating." So, you see, it isn't what that degree has done just to the US, but just about any country. <br><br>And then law...I hate hearing lawyers parroting their legal mumbo jumbo.<br><br>Not that us in the digital realm are much better. Some of the multimedia work I've been involved with, was just about selling the client some overpriced crap implemented with totally wrong kind of software for what their needs were for in the first place, but our sales group (yup, MBA degree) at the time sold it to them, and we had to implement it with the company's own software and all the while I was thinking how easier, faster and more sense it would make to do all that in Flash or Dreamweaver instead of the crappy company software we had. OTOH, I got paid, so fine. And I haven't worked there for a few years so I'm glad.<br><br>

Personally, I would've liked to see a tablet computer from Apple, instead of MBA. I'm guessing one of their goals was to beat Sony on the ultraportable, as Vaios have been, IMO, competing with PowerBooks and now the MBPs since their beginning. They are pretty much in the same price range and have roughly similar specs. And so, Sony has an ultraportable VAIO out, as well as Fujitsu had their small portables already years ago, but the small VAIO is, from what I've heard -- a friend advised me to see and feel one if I come across, it's supposedly light -- and well, that's where Steve was referring in his keynote as well. So, obviously there is a niche target market for ultraportables, which Apple now wanted to get a shot at, too. And obviously Sony is/has been making the lightest ultraportables thus far. And well, the whole point of ultraportable is to be ultraportable as a few already in this thread have said. The MBA is definitely not for video pros, that's what the lacking FW already tells me, but my take also on this is, many are willing to make sacrifices in certain features over light weight and portability, not to mention the financial sacrifice.<br><br>I'd dig a tablet from Apple, and I thought that would be ideal for most creative pros like industrial designers and graphic designers. I was surprised by Giz's claim about tablets, btw.<br><br>But back to MBA, I believe my gf would be perfectly fine with one. She now has this clunky Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo laptop she mainly uses for websurfing and word processing, and the occasional DVD, well, she does rip CDs on it, but that's about it. And with her arthritis something more lightweight would be great. I tried it for Photoshop, but the screen wasn't up for that. Well, it does have a nice feel to the keyboard...but anyways, I'm betting she'd be very happy with an ultraportable and her needs won't even require that much processing power nor memory.<br><br>

All professions have their jargon and their "mysteries" (aka BS). But not all professionals are as potentially harmful as are lawyers and MBA "consultants." A lot of the lawyers I know are really quite aware of the silliness of what they spout and the danger that it can represent. And most definitely the people in my profession are fully aware of their own irrelevance. To tell the truth, I don't know anyone personally who is a business consultant, so I don't know if they're just as alive to their own idiocy as other folks are, and it's hard to judge on the basis of what you see them do when they are on stage, so to speak. But still . . . I think your description of the location of economists' heads is crack on <br><br>&#63743; &#63743; &#63743; &#63743;

A tablet sounds REALLY cool and fun. I'd love to see Apple make one, and I know I'm not alone.<br><br>And yet... at the end of the day I wouldn't buy one, and I think most fans of the "idea" wouldn't either. Not now. Conventional apps (the ones I rely on daily) are best used with a precision pointing device that doesn't need a lot of tiring arm travel. And a real keyboard. The tablet form factor is great if you need a full-size screen and yet you need work standing up! Nice for freehand sketching too. Otherwise.... they're still cool and fun. (A convertible tablet gives you the best of both--at added cost and bulk.) There's a reason tablets are seen in certain industries (hospitals, delivery services) but have never caught on for the general public.<br><br>Now, pocket tablets--with their OWN apps, not trying to be a conventional computer--those I would buy. And I will. And it will have a phone in it... and they already make them Something slightly bigger than an iPhone but still pocketable and still using its OWN apps rather than being a "Mac" or "PC" might be very useful too. But a full tablet? I bet that will useful (and even common) some day, with its own UI grown from the iPhone. The iPhone SDK will be a step. But that's in the future. Right now, while a tablet's apps would mainly be regular desktop apps, I don't see it happening.<br><br>I do believe Apple has worked on a tablet device, but I don't expect them to ship anything like that soon. Maybe in two years or more. MAYBE in one if the iPhone software platform exposed. But Jan 08? Too soon. Touchscreens are best in pocket devices for now.<br><br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>TeamMacOSX.com | MacClan.net

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>What we can at least guess is that it's not consumer-friendly like having an eject tab.<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>Yeah, well that's making it hard for the consumer, isn't it? :)<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>They'll be replacements, not spares, and they won't be easy to put in.<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>Yeah, I was talking replacement, not spares. Lithium batteries are pretty much dead in a scant 2-3 years. By making it hard to put in... that's ensuring a revenue source for Apple. What's so difficult to understand? It's not like this thing is 2mm thick. Customers should expect the battery be easily replaceable on a piece of equipment that costs $1700.<br><br><br><br>Hey I'm an F'n Jerk!®

I'm sure the battery replacement "windfall" has such a big effect on Apple bottom line that it was worth adding yet one MORE criteria the 2-year engineering challenge of the MacBook Air I hope the stock analysts have factored in that boon.<br><br>I just don't see the business model there.<br><br>And you could say customers expect anything for $1700. Those that expect a battery swap at home should choose a different model.<br><br>It seems that you are trying hard to find a definite scam, where a slightly possible one exists.<br><br>P.S. A curved surface has strength--ask an egg. It seems to me that a removable battery that was part of the actual laptop structure would have to leave a curved surface behind--not a flat one--or else (more likely) quite a thick floor. Otherwise the computer would bend without the support. One more reason the thin-and-light challenge isn't as simple as you like to think. (And one more reason why no OTHER company has managed what you're saying is so easy: something this thin WITH a swappable battery... and a decent number of hours of life at that.)<br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>TeamMacOSX.com | MacClan.net

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>(And one more reason why no OTHER company has managed what you're saying is so easy: something this thin WITH a swappable battery... and a decent number of hours of life at that.)<br><p><hr></blockquote><p>To cram and smoosh this non user changeable battery into every nook and cranny without adding a bunch of thickness and weight by making it replacable is the answer to this absurd argument. People who want light and thin will pay for an Apple tech to peel this battery out of an MBA. Apple did their homework.<br><br>Let's do the math. 89 for a replaceable, 129 for the nonreplaceble. So I am paying 40 bucks extra possibly once maybe even twice if I hold onto it for 5 years (but by then it would usually be a tethered computer. <br><br>By my calculator I am paying 2 years, 40 bucks or two dollars a month extra for a much thinner and lighter computer. If it turns out I do use my computer two dollars more per month because I might have it instead of leaving it home then Apple did their homework.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

I'll take AppleInsider's "source" with salt until I see a takeapart, but it sounds as though the non-user-serviceable MBA battery may be an issue of fragility when out of the machine, rather than an issue of time or difficulty. Apple supposedly hasn't done anything to make 3rd-party batteries hard to install:<br><br>http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/...ly_minutes.html<br><br>Once flipped upside down, the MacBook Air's bottom cover is easily unscrewed and removed, providing immediate access to the battery cavity. From there, the battery can be unscrewed from the chassis with the same screwdriver and unplugged from the circuit board with a simple tug -- it's not soldered to the board. <br><br>The entire process, according to those in the known, can be completed by any service technician in as little as three minutes. <br><br>For its part, Apple has announced its intent to offer a MacBook Air Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program, which promises authorized replacements for US $129. The mail-in repair process normally takes 5 business days, the company says.<br><br>Given the simplicity of the upgrade, however, it's possible that Apple will in time offer the service on-demand at its retail stores. Similarly, third parties could also offer in-home do-it-yourself kits should they be able to acquire battery cells that meet Apple's standard for the MacBook Air.<br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>TeamMacOSX.com | MacClan.net

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